Doll Clothes

I have always loved sewing doll clothes.

My earliest sewing endeavors resulted in primitively fashioned garments for my plastic dolls and stuffed animals. By the age of six or so, I was completely entranced by fiber's infinite decorative potential. I find it fascinating that a child who is free to follow where his/her curiosity leads, often ends up replicating the chronological experience of humanity. In other words, they can pass quickly through the stages of discovery of human history within a chosen theme. Water play is an example of this phenomenon; examining the uses of cloth for clothing is another.

First, by using scraps of fabric saved from my mother's sewing projects, but not having access to or skill with good scissors, I had to do my best with the shapes at hand. As my facility with tools increased, the garments could then have openings cut to match the placement of limbs and neck. Belts, buttons and trim could be sewn in place or embellished with applied trim. Later I learned draw out my patterns on paper in order to repeat successful articles, make necessary alterations and better understand the concepts of drapery. Eventually, I had steam & electric motors at my disposal. Some mechanical devices improved the speed & quality of certain types of work; sometimes they diminished one aspect or both.

To this day, I enjoy making miniature clothing. From time to time, one of the types of textile reproductions I am asked to make, is historically accurate clothing for 18th century period or reproduction dolls. I am by no measure an expert on period clothing. Fortunately, I have had the privilege of examining a number of period dolls--several with original articles of clothing. I have a basic understanding of the shapes of 18th century garments and appropriate materials. Using this basic knowledge, as well as what I have learned from the actual process of sewing the garments, I have developed patterns for miniature period clothing and adapted them for dolls of various sizes and shapes.

The photographs here show each doll wearing the successive layers of historically accurate costume. You can see how some details can be replicated exactly, while others must be cut or sewn differently due to their tiny size.